Work

“What Does a Chatbot Know About Life?”: Ill and Healthy Adults’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence Integration in Advance Care Planning

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Advance care planning (ACP) completion rates remain modest in the United States despite the benefits of ACP to patients’ quality of end of life. This mixed methods study explores adults’ (N=203) perspectives on ACP and the potential use of artificial intelligence chatbots to facilitate this process. Participants identified as either living with life-limiting illnesses (N=75) or as healthy (N=128), and were mean age 64.02 (SD=11.09); 48.8% men, 48.3% women; 55.7% disabled; and racially, socioeconomically, and religiously diverse. Participants were open to engaging with chatbots for logistical and informational ACP tasks but strongly preferred human communication for more personal or emotional conversations. Comfort with chatbot-facilitated ACP increased when chatbots were transparent, text-based, and used in conjunction with healthcare providers. Findings underscore the continued primacy of human connection in ACP and highlight design considerations—including transparency and human integration—that could enable chatbots to responsibly supplement this process and gain public acceptance.

Source: OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying

DOI: 10.1177/00302228261434354

Authors: Noor M. Al-Khaouli, Hollen N. Reischer

Institution: University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Language: English

Topic: Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650